Estée Lauder's new book encourages women to talk about breast cancer

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The Estée Lauder Companies UK today launched a new book on life after a breast cancer diagnosis, to mark this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness campaign.

Afterwards: Reflections on Life Beyond Breast Canceris a crowd-sourced book that shares the stories of those affected by breast cancer – including those of women who are currently undergoing treatment, women now in remission, and stories from relatives who have lost a loved one to the disease.

The campaign is fronted by a Paula Beetlestone, a 47-year-old mother from London, who was diagnosed two years ago. Beetlestone stars in the advertisement for the campaign, which was unveiled at London’s Piccadilly Circus this morning.

Paula Beetlestone with the Piccadilly Circus advert for the bookCredit:
Paul Grover/Paul Grover

The book features stories by women of all ages, and aims to offer advice on returning to normality after battling the disease. “I believe that once you have had cancer you are no longer really the same person you once were,” says Sharon, 36, who was diagnosed in 2013. “That doesn’t have to be a bad thing; you’re just a new ‘you’. One that is often so much stronger, mentally, if not physically, than before.”

Beetlestone fronts the new campaign Credit:
Bethany Pearson

As well as offering advice on coping with everything from diagnosis to the emotions of others, the book offers women's personal, sometimes funny, experiences: "In preparation for losing my hair, my sister and I made Top Trumps-style cards of all of my bad hairstyles of the past," says 43-year-old Ali, founder of the charity Annabel's Angels. "Growing up in the eighties, this wasn't difficult. I appreciate I have a unique sense of humour but it worked for me, so find what works for you.”

In the UK, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives, but currently 87 per cent of those diagnosed will survive for at least five years – a figure that it continuously rising.

Elizabeth Hurley, who lost her grandmother to breast cancer and has been Global Ambassador for the BCA campaign since 1995, said: “When I first met Evelyn Lauder, founder of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, she told me that women all over the world were dying of breast cancer but no one was talking about it. This struck a nerve because my grandmother didn’t tell anyone about the lump she’d found in her breast because she was so scared; when she was finally diagnosed, the disease was advanced.”

BCA Ambassador Elizabeth Hurley Credit:
2014 Dave Benett/Dave Benett

“I’ve supported the BCA campaign since my first meeting with Evelyn,” she said. “I hope people everywhere learn just how impactful each and every action can truly be in bringing us closer to a world without breast cancer.”

A photo posted by The BCA Campaign (@bcacampaign) on Sep 28, 2015 at 10:21am PDT

The book, available online on the BCA website, is part of the global Every Action Counts initiative, which is a call-to-action campaign inviting people to share the ways they are taking action throughout the year, in hopes of taking the world a step closer to being one free of breast cancer.

“My action is to get a mammogram each year on my birthday and encourage women around the world to do the same,” said Hurley.

The Estee Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign was founded in 1992 by the late Evelyn H. Lauder, daughter-in-law of Estee, is currently active in over 70 countries and funds 185 Breast Cancer Research Foundation research projects worldwide.

AFTERWARDS: Reflections on Life Beyond Breast Cancer – Shared Wisdom From Those Who’ve Been There is available online on the BCA website.